When Kobie tapped out for Vendilion Clique, Alex responded with Intuition. “Somehow I feel like I’m going to lose this game,” Kobie noted.

At that point, Alex found an extra Mishra’s Factory in his maindeck and realized he’d failed to fully fix his sideboarding from the semifinals. A quick judge call, and Alex found himself receiving a game loss.

Turns out Kobie’s feeling was wrong!

Kobie 1, Alex 0

Game 2

Alex has made it this far with Lands, but can he take the final match?

Porting Kobie’s Island in the draw step, Alex left Kobie to just Top and then play another one. He played Tolaria West and then Ported in the upkeep, since Kobie already knew the cards. On his next turn, Alex floated a blue before using Ghost Quarter on his own Tolaria West, casting Exploration.

Kobie knocked Alex to 14, and Alex dropped Maze of Ith. He fell to 12 on the next turn as Kobie topped but remained on four lands. Fetching to fall to 11, Alex transmuted Tolaria West for another Maze of Ith to try and lock up the board. Now he might just be able to sneak in Tar Pit swings with Maze backing him up—after all, Kobie was on just 12 life.

Alex fell to 9 life as Kobie binned a Ponder, and now the Tar Pit began its march. Kobie dropped to 9 as Alex fell to 8 for a fetch to get the requisite mana. Kobie fetched to fall to 7 life, then used Stoneforge Mystic to locate Batterskull.

Kobie fell to 5 life as the Tar Pit attacked again, and now it looked like Alex might sneak it all in just in time. He dropped Kobie to 2 life, and Batterskull entered the battlefield. A third Maze of Ith stymied it—did Kobie have anything?

Nope. He just died to the Tar Pit.

Kobie 1, Alex 1

Game 3

Alex mulliganed to six in the final game, while Kobie fetched Island and cast Ponder to start, shuffling the deck. Alex played Mishra’s Factory on turn 1 and nothing else, while Kobie had only Sensei’s Divining Top on turn 2 alongside a fetchland. Creeping Tar Pit for Alex followed, but no Mox Diamond to threaten a couple points.

Fetching Plains, Kobie got in a Top before untapping and drawing. He added Scalding Tarn on his turn, and nothing else. Alex resolved Dark Confidant on the following turn, and Kobie found Swords to Plowshares with his Top to kill the 2/1. Now the Factory started getting to work, but once Alex pumped the Factory Kobie used Disenchant to slay the Assembly Worker.

The Mystic attacked for 1 damage, and Kobie resolved Vendilion Clique to see two Mazes and Ghost Quarter. Alex dropped the Maze to fend off the Clique, and Kobie looked to Forge Batterskull in during the end step. Another Maze stabilized things in Alex’s favor, and Mystic got in 1 damage when Kobie forced it to die to Zuran Orb with a flashback on Swords to Plowshares.